AstraZeneca licenses sunvozertinib from Dizal for $600M upfront

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN) has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Dizal Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd to acquire worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib), an oral irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor for lung cancer patients.

Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will pay Dizal $600 million upfront, with up to $900 million in additional payments tied to development, regulatory, and sales-related milestones. Dizal will also receive tiered royalties on global Zegfrovy sales. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory clearances and customary closing conditions. AstraZeneca stated the deal does not affect its 2026 financial guidance.

Zegfrovy is currently approved in the United States and China for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) carrying EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations whose disease progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

Dizal recently reported positive results from the global WU-KONG28 Phase III trial evaluating Zegfrovy as a first-line treatment for NSCLC with exon 20 insertion EGFR mutations. The data were presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Based on these results, supplemental applications for first-line approval have been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and China's Center for Drug Evaluation. Both agencies have granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Zegfrovy in this setting.

According to the press release, approximately 80–85% of lung cancer patients globally have NSCLC, and roughly one in four patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC carries an exon 20 insertion mutation or other atypical mutation.

You May Also Be Interested In

• Alphabet Sees FY26 Capex $195B To $205B, Saw $180B To $190B
• NovaGold to reincorporate in Delaware via arrangement with Paulson
• Five Below reports cybersecurity breach via social engineering